Sunday, August 31, 2008

The Martin XP2M was a second prototype of the basic flying boat design first developed as the Consolidated XPY-1.The Martin P3M flying boat was the production version of the aircraft that had first been developed as the Consolidated XPY-1.

The Consolidated XPY-1 Admiral was the first in a series of designs that would eventually produce the PBY Catalina, the most successful fly boat ever built.The Consolidated P2Y was the second flying boat to be designed by Consolidated for the US Navy, and the first to be produced by the same company.

Monday, August 25, 2008

We start with a look at the designation system used on Japanese tanks of the Second World WarThe Type 1 Chi-He (medium sixth) Medium Tank was an improved version of the Type 97 Chi-ha, the most numerous Japanese medium tank of the Second World War, but the generally low priority give to tank development during the war meant that only 170 were builtThe Type 3 Chi-Nu (medium tenth) was the last tank to be developed from the Chi-Ha medium tank, and combined the improved chassis of the Type 1 Chi-Ne with a large turret carrying a 75mm tank gun.The Type 4 Chi-To medium tank was the most powerful Japanese tank built during the Second World War, but by the time the war ended only two had been completed.The Type 5 Chi-Ri (medium ninth) tank was the last medium tank to be developed in Japan during the Second World War, although no complete examples were actually built.The Type 1 Ho-Ni I was a self-propelled gun produced by fitting a 75mm Type 90 field gun on the chassis of the main Japanese medium tank of the Second World War, the Type 97 Chi-HaThe Type 1 Ho-Ni II was a Japanese self propelled gun produced by mounting a 105mm Type 91 Howitzer on the chassis of a Type 97 Chi-Ha medium tankThe Type 2 Ho-I gun tank was designed to provide Japanese tank regiments with a close support weapon to fight alongside the improved Chi-ha medium tanksThe Type 3 Ho-Ni III was a Japanese tank destroyer and self-propelled gun produced by mounting a 75mm gun on the chassis of the Type 97 Chi-Ha medium tank.

The Type 94 tankette was produced in larger numbers than any other Japanese armoured vehicle of the 1930s. Although it was originally designed to act as an armoured supply transporter, it was often used in combat as a miniature tank.

The Type 89 Yi-Go or Chi-Ro medium tank was the most important Japanese medium tank of the 1930s, and was the first at least partly Japanese-designed tank to be accepted by the Imperial Japanese Army

The Type 97 Tankette was an improved version of the earlier Type 94 Tankette, itself the most numerous Japanese armoured vehicle of the 1930s.

The Type 98 Light Tank was designed during 1938 to replace the Type 95 Ha-Go light tank, but despite being a superior design it did not enter full production until 1942, and never appeared in large numbers

The Type 2 Ke-To light tank (Japan) was an improved version of the Type 98 light tank, carrying a modified gun turret.

The Type 3 Ke-Ri light tank was an experimental Japanese design which matched the chassis of the standard Type 95 Ha-go light tank with a 57mm gun

The Type 4 Ke-Nu light tank combined the chassis of the standard Japanese Type 95 light tank with turrets that had been removed from the original version of the Type 97 Chi-ha medium tank.

Wednesday, August 06, 2008

The Sturmgeschütz IV or StuG IV was an assault gun developed at the end of 1943 to make up for lost StuG III production in the aftermath of an air raid which badly damaged the Alkett factory.The Sturmhaubitze or StuH was a version of the StuG assault gun, armed with a 105mm light field howitzerThe Hornisse (hornet) or Nashorn (Rhino) was a lightly armoured self-propelled mount for the 8.8cm Pak43 anti-tank gun using the same hybrid gun carriage based on elements of the Panzer III and Panzer IV as the Hummel, and differed from that vehicle mainly in the choice of its gun.The Jagdtiger, or Jagdpanzer VI, was a tank destroyer based on the Tiger II, and was a good example of the gigantism so common in Germany towards the end of the Second World War.The Tiger-Mörser or Sturmmörser was a self propelled armoured mount for the breach loading rocket firing 38cm Raketenwerfer 61 L/54.

Tuesday, August 05, 2008

The Möbelwagen (furniture wagon) was the first attempt to mount an anti-aircraft gun on the chassis of a Panzer IV tank.The Wirbelwind (Whirlwind) was the second production vehicle to mount an anti-aircraft gun on the chassis of the Panzer IV tank.The Zerstörer 45 was a more powerful version of the Wirbelwind Flakpanzer, designed to compensate for the relatively low power of the quadruple 2cm guns used in the earlier vehicle.The Ostwind I (East Wind) was the last of a series of Flakpanzers (anti-aircraft tanks) based on the Panzer IV chassis to enter production, albeit in very small numbersThe Ostwind II was a further development of the Ostwind I Flakpanzer, which would have carried twice the firepower, but that never progressed beyond the prototype stage.The “Kugelblitz” (Ball lightning) Flakpanzer would have been the most advanced anti-aircraft tank produced by Germany during the Second World War if it had ever entered production, but the first prototypes did not appear until 1945, and it never entered combat

The Jagdpanzer IV was the first of a series of highly effective tank destroyers developed in Germany from 1943, each of which carried a powerful gun in a low chassis protected by well sloped armour.The Panzer IV/70 (A) was intended to be an interim design, designed to speed up the introduction of a version of the Jagdpanzer armed with a 7.5cm PaK42 L/70 main gun.The Panzer IV/70 (V) was an improved version of the Jagdpanzer IV, armed with a Pak42 L/70 gun in place of the shorter gun used on the earlier vehicle.The Hummel was a fully tracked lightly armoured mount for the 15cm heavy field howitzer, and was designed to provide artillery support for the Panzer divisions.